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Murder tale all true

Authors of book on a Lincoln County crime visit to discuss, sign at library

Alamogordo Daily NewsBy Elva K. sterreich, Associate News Editor

Posted:
10/19/2011 09:40:02 PM MDT

Murder mystery, courtroom drama and a love story, "Death in a Red Desert," is also, as one of its authors described it, "100 percent truth."

In 1998, in the desert near Tularosa, a woman was buried in a shallow grave. The book, "Death in a Red Desert," provides an account of the murder in Ruidoso, the investigation and the trials held in Carrizozo and Alamogordo.

The story chronicles an odd love triangle between a woman, her lover and his transvestite partner, and the events leading up to the disappearance and murder of Elizabeth Lankhorst-Ballard.

Authors Dianne deLeon-Stallings, a reporter for the Ruidoso News, and C.L. Stallings, former reporter and columnist, will sign books Saturday at the Alamogordo Public Library and talk about their book as part of the One City, One Book program.

C.L. "Chuck" Stallings said he had been thinking about writing a book. As a resident of Ruidoso, he called his friend Wolfgang Born, who was also a local police detective, and asked him if there was a local story interesting enough to write a book about. Born immediately mentioned a case he had worked hard on the story of a strange love triangle.

"It was about one man who loved two women," Chuck said. But one of the women was a man.

About six years of researching and writing ensued with Chuck and Dianne working together, checking and double-checking facts and words until "Death in the Red Desert" was completed.

"We determined everything was verified," Chuck said. "That was the truth. There was no argument there.

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We would ask a lot of questions back and forth. We made sure where we got the information was accurate."

After talking with Born, Chuck contacted prosecutor Cannon Stevens and she invited him over. She had everything about the court case in a big file box.

He was also able to get copies of the actual court tapes, which not only included the trials but the confidential conversations with the attorneys and the judge on the bench. Ruidoso attorney Gary Mitchell provided the defense.

"There was a lot of at-the-bench conversation," Chuck said. "The trial stuff (in the book) you wouldn't see it in CSI or anywhere."

Not only relying on court documents and tapes, Chuck spoke with many of those close to the situation. He traveled to Bullhead City, Ariz., to talk with the victim's mother, and to Riverside, Calif., to see her father. He went to the prison to speak with Charles "Eva" Martinez, who was convicted of the murder. It took four trips to prison, but he was able to get Martinez's version of what happened the night Lankhorst-Ballard died.

The other man accused of the murder, Lankhorst-Ballard's boyfriend Chris Faviell, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, was convicted of tampering with evidence and was released in 4 1/2 years.

Over the years he was researching and writing the book, Chuck became known as an expert in the case. When Animal Planet called him to cover the case a second time in 2008, he welcomed them to Ruidoso and showed them around the significant sites involved in the case.

The case made history in canine DNA forensic research as dog root hair was used for the first time in tying a body to a murder scene and was featured on the "Animal Witness" series on Animal Planet, highlighting the DNA work of Dr. Joy Halverson.

"Canines played key roles in solving the crime, from the pit bull pet of one of the killers to desert coyotes and a cadaver dog on his last assignment before retirement," deLeon-Stallings said via email.

DNA extracted from a root hair from Hercules, the pit bull owned by Martinez, was matched to a similar hair embedded in the victim's sock. The match placed Lankhorst-Ballard in the home of Martinez and Faviell and helped convict Martinez.

The book is available at Hastings Books, Music and Video in Alamogordo, Books Etcetera in Ruidoso, Amazon.com and through the website deathinareddesert .com.